We Only Breathe For So Long
by WaterBendin
Summary: AU. Paily. Emily Fields and her best friends take a post-graduation road trip to an outdoor music festival as their last wild adventure together before college.
1. Chapter 1

**We Only Breathe For So Long**

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**Warning:** Rated M for sexual content, drug use, underage drinking, and language.

**Author's Note**: Explicit Music Festival, Sharkfin Valley, and all musical acts mentioned are completely fictional. Any places, people, or groups of the same names are purely coincidental.

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**Day 1 – Anything For Just That Little Rush**

The early morning sun peaked over the trees, illuminating the inside of the Toyota Highlander as it sped down the highway. Emily Fields was wide awake as she watched the sky turn from deep purple to light blue. Mornings had always been her favorite time of day. The feeling of entering a new day, of a world full of possibilities, refreshed her like ice cold water after a long run.

Hanna Marin stirred in the passenger seat, earning a glance from the driver. She stretched out of her curled up position and took in her surroundings. With a yawn, she asked, "How long have I been out?"

"Not long." Emily shrugged. The car had been buzzing with excitement about their upcoming plans that had lasted long into the night, but soon after Emily had taken over driving the other girls had drifted off to sleep. Hanna glanced to the backseat where their friends Aria Montgomery and Spencer Hastings were leaning against each other sound asleep. She pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of them before returning her attention to up front.

"Are we close?" Hanna asked as she speedily posted the picture online. She was without a doubt the social networking guru of the group. Not a soul in the entire town of Rosewood had an online presence that could rival Hanna's. She had easily accumulated thousands of follows on several varying social apps over the years. Her outgoing personality proved to be just as attractive online as it was in person.

"Maybe three hours. Depends on traffic." Emily estimated. They had left late into the afternoon, having to wait until Emily could escape her job at The Brew. No one complained though, as she had been lucky enough to score the weekend off from work in the first place.

Hanna meticulously reached into the backseat to grab a spare blanket for herself. "Do you need a break from driving?" She asked, her eyes never leaving her phone.

"I'm good for a while." Emily answered. She glanced into the rearview mirror to see their friends beginning to wake. It took a few stretches and yawns before they could utter any good mornings.

The car decided to make a quick stop for breakfast and bathroom breaks. With Aria driving, they were back on the road in record time.

Hanna pouted from her new seat in the back as the car returned to the busy highway. "I can't believe you guys would rather see Mercy Street Police than Mary Sue And The Boiled Peanuts. Are you sure we can't do them both?"

Spencer pinched the bridge of her nose. They'd been having the same argument for past week. "For the millionth time, we're not splitting up! Hanna, you are literally the only person I have ever met who even likes that band."

"They're playing at Explicit!" Hanna defended. "Someone besides me obviously likes them too. Come on, me and Em can hit up the Mary Sue And The Boiled Peanuts set while you and Aria see Mercy Street Police."

"No way." Emily laughed. She had never even heard of the indie band until Hanna started raving about how great they were the week before. The group wasn't terrible, but they certainly weren't good enough to miss out on seeing Mercy Street Police.

Defeated, Hanna shrunk down in her seat with her arms crossed over her chest. Along with being the queen of social networking, she was also skilled in the art of the guilt trip. Immune to her tactics, the other girls simply waited for the routine to pass.

Spencer turned to the backseat, asking Emily for one of the maps of the festival that they had preemptively printed out. "Do you think we can make it there in time to catch The Emoticons? They're supposed to go on right before Holy Beatz."

Hanna scoffed. "You hate Holy Beatz."

"I didn't say I want to see him." Spencer rolled her eyes. "I said The Emoticons are performing before him."

Hanna leaned forward, ready to retaliate, but Emily cut her off. "I doubt we'll make it in time. It'll take us a little while to set up camp before we can even think about heading over to the performance areas."

Aria nodded as she switched lanes. "Em's right. We should try to stick to the schedule we planned."

The bickering, mostly between Hanna and Spencer, went on for some time. Thankfully, as they started to near their destination things steadily grew more civil. Their excitement increased with every passing exit. Time seemed to drag on as they navigated their way through a bustling small town. Leaving the city limits behind them, they hit the countryside. A dense forest was to their left, rolling fields to their right. Aria slowed down the car as they passed a sign directing them where to go. The girls were nearly bouncing in their seats as they finally reached the area designated for parking. It was a massive fenced-in grassy area filled with all kinds of vehicles and tents littering the land. People roamed freely, weaving in and out of the parked cars and tents. A boy walking along the road gestured for Aria to follow him. He directed them to a free parking spot, leading the way on foot.

"This spot is amazing!" Aria exclaimed as she climbed out of the car. She turned to the stranger who had guided her. "Thank you so much."

He was a tall boy with messy hair and blue eyes. "Don't mention it. We were saving this spot for our friends, but it turns out they're not going to make it." He pointed to a collection of tents that were set up close by. "That's us right there."

"Still, thank you. You didn't have to do that. Oh, I'm Aria." She gestured to the girls. "And this is Hanna, Emily, and Spencer."

The boy's eyes lit up as they landed on Spencer. He smiled, looking at her as he said, "I'm Toby."

Spencer smiled back at him. "It's nice to meet you, Toby."

The girls exchanged knowing looks before they began the tedious task of setting up camp. They had brought two small tents, one for Spencer and Aria to share and one for Hanna and Emily to share. Most of their belongings would remain in the safety of the locked car, but claiming room for their tents was essential. It wouldn't be long before the field was overflowing with people trying to squeeze their cars and tents into any space they could find. After they had properly erected the tents, the girls ventured over introduce themselves to Toby's neighboring group.

They were a ragtag gang of misfits, it seemed. Toby explained that they had all met at the previous summer's Explicit Musical Festival; they'd hit it off so well that they agreed to all camp together the next year. There was Toby, a high school dropout who made a living selling hand-crafted wooden furniture with the occasional job in construction. He was the type of boy that Spencer's parents would despise, which was probably the exact reason why she was so drawn to him. They were also introduced to Caleb, a drifter who lived in his van and made money by hacking into the accounts of the local politicians in the cities he traveled through; Mona, a tiny girl with a big personality who effortlessly bonded with Hanna; Holden, a quiet boy with a passion for martial arts; CeCe, a sorority girl and the oldest member of the group; Alex, an aspiring professional tennis player stuck working as a country club chef; Lucas, a comic book enthusiast skilled at photography; and Samara, a witty physics major and president of her small private college's Gay-Straight Alliance. They welcomed Emily, Spencer, Hanna, and Aria with friendly smiles. The conversations rolled on for a while, so long that the girls missed their opportunity to see Velvet Afterlife. It seemed as though the plan to stick to their premade schedule was already out the window and the weekend had only just begun.

The girls ate lunch with their new friends before leaving the parking area. The trek from the grassy field to the performance area was a long one, and Emily was thankful that they had managed to make some friends to talk to during the lengthy walk. Mona and CeCe orbited Hanna like they'd discovered an angel on Earth. Samara and Emily had a lot in common, though they mostly talked about GSAs and being out in college. There was some flirtation from Samara's end, but Emily wanted to keep her options open; the festival had only just started, after all. Holden and Aria got along well, though it was obvious that Holden liked martial arts a lot more than he liked pretty girls. Spencer and Toby were practically already holding hands, their immediate connection undeniable to their friends. Lucas and Alex talked mostly to each other, while the loner Caleb seemed entirely disinterested with everything around him.

Emily found herself sweating before they had even made it halfway. She was thankful that she had appropriately dressed for the warm weather, as she had heavily debated on her choice of shorts before putting them on. Always the one to dress comfortably, she wasn't used to showing so much skin in public. Noticing the obvious stares from Lucas and Alex, she moved to walk on the other side of Samara.

"I like the whole matching fanny pack thing you girls have got going on." Samara smiled, gesturing to the one strapped around Emily's hips. "It's cute. Normally fanny packs give off a middle-aged mom at Disney World vibe, but you definitely make it work."

"Thanks." Emily smiled politely. Samara was attractive and sweet, and had they met elsewhere Emily probably would have flirted back, but time was limited and she lacked everything that Emily was looking for. Nothing about the girl screamed new or adventurous. She was a safe choice, a 'bring home to meet the parents' choice, a 'meet at a coffee shop poetry slam' choice. Emily had dated girls like her in the past. What she craved was a girl who could get her heart racing. She had left behind the romance and coffee shops in Rosewood, and she had come to Sharkfin Valley in search of something different; something that she would never forget.

Finally, they reached their destination. The performance area was really just a widespread grassy field with barricaded locations for stages, vendors, and large tented resting spots. People were everywhere, walking in every direction, most of them drenched in sweat. The sun was out in full force as the afternoon heat set in.

As a collective group, the girls and their new friends stopped by the parallel lines of dozens of port-a-potties before heading into the madness. Waiting to pee was a lackluster mission but the festival atmosphere helped keep the excitement alive. The port-a-potties themselves were a literal hot mess. The confined space was filthy and felt like an oven. Emily found herself having to do to the hover technique as she relieved herself.

After everyone had their turn, the group marched over to the nearest stage. Youngsters In Overalls had just started their set, but the crowd was an impressive size considering how relatively unknown the band was. They decided to try out somewhere else, agreeing that no matter where they ended up they would need to be at The Big Stage in time to get good spots for Mercy Street Police.

The group roamed around, getting a feel for the festival and checking out all the neat art and vendors. They passed by the EDM stage, which sat vacant at midday but come nightfall would be the big crowd pleaser with its lasers and strobe lights. Explicit Fest was famous for its outdoor rave experience. They eventually settled for watching the last few songs from Craig Johns And Kiki Smitherson, a Canadian duo who had risen to moderate popularity in the early 2000s.

"My sister used to love these guys." Spencer said as they found a nice place to sit. There was a good sized crowd, but most members of the audience had opted for resting on the grass to conserve their energy for the shows to come.

"Older or younger?" Toby asked curiously. Despite his rugged appearance, it was clear that the boy had a heart of gold. He hung on to every word that left Spencer's lips.

"Older." She answered with a smile, her eyes roaming his stretched out body like he was a fresh baked pie that she just couldn't wait to dig into.

Emily's attention was pulled from watching the two love birds as Aria sat down beside her.

"I think you have an admirer." Aria whispered. Emily looked around, groaning internally when she realized it was only Samara whose eyes were on her.

"I'll pass." Emily muttered, earning a good chuckle from her friend. "What about you and the martial arts master?"

Aria shook her head. "I think he might be gay, but I'm not entirely sure because Tae Kwan Do is literally the only that I've heard him talk about."

"Got your eye on any of the others?" Emily asked.

The other girl shrugged. She had always been picky when it came to boys; she was a hopeless romantic with impossibly high standards. "They're cute, just not what I'm looking for."

"You're probably not going to find Mr. Mature And Sophisticated at a music festival." Emily teased.

"Probably not." She allowed. "But I think this weekend I just want to not worry about boys or relationships and just have fun, you know?"

"Yeah, I get what you mean." Emily replied, despite the fact that she had every intention of hooking up with a stranger at least once before they returned to Rosewood. If there was ever a time to get crazy and wild, this was it.

It wasn't long before the group made their way over to The Big Stage. A sizable audience had already gathered, but they managed to get fairly good standing positions near the center. It would be another hour before Mercy Street Police would come on, but the show would be well worth the wait. The sun beamed down on them relentlessly from its position in the cloudless sky overhead. Emily was glad that they had remembered to apply sunscreen back at camp. There were more than a few people around them already turning bright red in the sweltering heat. The crowd was continually growing, which meant even more sweaty bodies were being packed into the space.

After what felt like a burning eternity, Mercy Street Police finally took the stage. Their presence brought back the crowd's enthusiasm, the live music outweighing the discomfort. The girls danced and sang along and started having the fun that they had spent months anticipating. Emily had been a fan of Mercy Street Police's music for quite a while, but hearing thousands of strangers singing along, seeing the band members doing what they loved to do, and dancing with her best friends made the experience even more extraordinary than she had thought it would be. Despite the heat and how sweaty she was, despite the underlying smell of strangers' body odors, and despite the revealing clothing that drew quite a bit of unwanted attention, Emily was having the time of her life.

When Mercy Street Police finished their set, the afternoon was in full swing. The group stuck around The Big Stage to catch the surprise appearance by pop superstar Abigail Strong, but as soon as she left they took a much needed rest. They managed to find an empty picnic table under one of the big tents. It was littered with trash and dripping with spilled beer, but the cool shade overruled the untidy condition that the table had been left in. Lucas, Alex, Mona, Holden, CeCe, and Samara, who had started to realize that Emily wasn't interested, ventured off on their own to see Gregorian Calendar perform; left sitting at the table was Emily, Aria, Hanna, Spencer, Toby, and Caleb. Spencer and Toby were deep in conversation at the end of the table, a basket of fresh cheese fries sitting between them. Hanna was getting to know Caleb, who didn't seem to enjoy her endless questions or her attempt to befriend him in general. Aria and Emily sat across from each other at the end with empty seats, discussing how amazing Mercy Street Police had been.

A guy in his mid-twenties strolled up to them with hotdog in one hand and a beer in the other and asked if he could sit with them. Aria, noticing the university logo on his tank top, offered him the free space beside her.

"Thanks." He smiled charmingly. "I've asked like four other tables already. I'm Ezra, by the way."

"Aria." She gestured across the table. "This is Emily."

"Nice to meet you both." He nodded, taking a bite of his hotdog. "Are the other kids with you too?"

Aria raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Kids?"

Ezra faltered. "Oh, um, sorry. You all just look really young. What are you, sixteen? Seventeen?"

"Eighteen." Aria answered, a suggestive glint in her eyes that did not go unnoticed by the older boy.

"Eighteen." He repeated with a nod. "I will definitely remember that."

"So do you go to Danby?" Emily questioned, referring to the logo on his tank top.

He smirked. "Something like that, yeah."

"Are you here with friends?" Aria wondered aloud. "A girlfriend?"

"No, no girlfriend." He answered after finishing off his food. "I came with my brother and a few of his friends. We got separated a while ago, though. I've pretty much just been roaming around by myself trying to find some cell phone reception."

"You can stick with us until you find your brother. We won't be here long though, we're just hanging out until it's time to grab spots for Unauthorized." Aria offered. In spite of Aria's earlier opposition to spending her time on boys, Emily could already tell that they would probably be seeing a lot of this guy throughout the weekend.

A look of confusion crossed his face. "I thought that show wasn't until sundown?"

"The EDM stage fills up fast." Emily explained. "You have to get there really early."

Hanna, who they hadn't realized had been listening to their conversation, turned to her attention to them and said, "Speaking of Unauthorized, Caleb has the hookup for tonight. We'll be meeting mary and molly."

Oblivious, Ezra asked, "Are those friends of yours?"

The table laughed genially at his confusion until Emily took pity on him. "Yeah, something like that."

Waiting for Unauthorized, a South African electronic music producer and DJ famous for his unique beats and customary tiger print suits, was a much more pleasant experience than the wait for Mercy Street Police had been due to how incredibly high they all were. Caleb's hookup had been a sketchy acquaintance sitting in the forest about a ten minute walk from the performance area. The girls, Toby, and Ezra all offered to help Caleb pay for the goods, which helped them buy what they wanted in bulk. Choosing to smoke in the forest, far from the eyes of security, and saved the rest for the show. Emily had been weary about letting Ezra tag along with them, but he seemed to be a pretty okay guy. By the time they had found Caleb's hookup, he had already deduced what they would be gaining from their endeavor into the woods. While smoking, he revealed that he'd always wanted to try drugs but had never found the right opportunity. Emily wondered if he actually thought smoking in a forest with a bunch freshly graduated kids was really his idea of the right opportunity, but with Aria's smile egging him on he probably would have done just about anything to impress her.

When they returned to the festival, their minds were hazy and their smiles were wide. The crowd never seemed to stop growing. Thousands of people had squeezed into the space, eager for the sun to set and for the real party to begin. Emily was thankful that they had thought to stop by the port-a-potties before the adventure into the forest. Nothing would have sucked quite as much as having to pee in the middle of a crowd this size. They kept any eye out for Toby and Caleb's friends, but finding them in the sea of faces would have been a miracle. To keep themselves busy, they chatted about all kinds of things. The topics ranged from political activism to favorite kinds of cheese. They'd been standing there for so long that by the time the sun actually started to set, they had sobered up. Emily was tired from being out in the heat all day, but the anticipation for what was to come beat out the desire for a comfy bed.

There was a previously unannounced opening act, some aspiring DJ whose sole purpose was to warm up the crowd. After his brief appearance on stage was over, it was time. When the last traces of pink and orange left the sky, the stage came alive. Unauthorized's tiger print suit making him easy to spot out even from far away. He jumped around, getting the crowd pumped for the madness that he was about to bring. Caleb nudged Toby, who nudged Spencer, who nudged Hanna, who nudged Emily, who nudged Aria, who nudged Ezra. This was it. As discreetly as possible, which was in no way at all discrete, they each popped a small tablet into their mouths.

The music started slow, picking up as Emily's heart began to race. The lights alternated colors and directions, the lasers stretched out in waves above them, the smoke machines ran sporadically, the volume rose to a deafening level, and the bass could be felt in the ground and it shook the very core of her body. When the beat finally dropped, the crowd exploded.

Emily let go. She moved with the music, jumping up and down to the beat with the thousands of people around her. Everything that had worried her faded away. She didn't care about the layer of sweat on her skin, or the how nauseatingly hot the air was, or how rank the body odor wafting from the sea of moving bodies was. The only things in the world that existed were the music, her dancing body, and the show of lights. It was a near spiritual experience. At times things moved in slow motion, but then without warning they would move at double speed around her. Her brain tried to keep up, but she settled for not worrying about fast or slow time moved. It didn't matter. Only the music mattered. Only the lights.

The songs blurred together, as they do with good DJs, so losing track of how long they'd been dancing was all too easy. The night sky above them was cloudless and filled to the brim with stars. The full moon sat in the corner, watching the festivities below. Emily knew that she was physically exhausted, she hadn't slept at all the previous night and she'd been standing around in the sun all day, but she felt alive. Her skin buzzed, her heart raced, and her eyes were wide as they took in everything around her. She found herself scanning the crowd, not looking for anyone in particular. Just looking. Everyone seemed to be having so much fun. Their fists were in the air, pumping to the music. Their smiles were big as they danced. Her eyes fell on a face in the crowd that she couldn't bring herself to look away from. Standing only a little ways to her side was a beautiful girl wearing what could only be described as summertime biker gang chic. Bathed in flashing lights, she looked like a stoic angel. She didn't appear to be having any fun, yet she was there and swaying to the music anyway. When her electrifying eyes discovered Emily's gaze she bit her lip and proceeded to make the most unintentionally seductive expression that Emily had ever witnessed.

This was the girl, Emily thought. There she was, the one she'd been hoping to find. She was the type of girl that you wouldn't want to get into a fistfight with. She was the type of girl that you wouldn't find sitting in a coffee shop reading poetry about true love. She looked like the type of girl who enjoyed snapping bones for fun. She looked like she could kill a man with nothing but her eyes. Emily didn't hide her stare, and neither did the other girl. Their eyes were locked as they danced, or rather, while they swayed. Occasionally a dancing body between them would obscure their view, but when the intruding arm or head moved the other girl was always there staring right back at her. Emily decided to make a move. She nudged her friends and winked. They watched her as she politely squeezed her way over to the mysterious girl. There was no greeting when she reached her, no smile or nod of approval. There was only dancing. Emily let the music take over, ignoring how much pain her feet were in and focusing on the way the other girl's eyes followed her every move. She shook her hips to the beat, turning so that her back was to the other girl's front. She pressed up against her, nearly letting a moan escape her throat when the girl's hands grabbed on to her hips. The art of grinding up against some while dancing had never been one that Emily had been able to do very well, but in that moment she was a professional. She tossed back her head, resting it against the girl's shoulder. Had they not been surrounded by thousands of strangers, Emily would have let the girl take her right then and there.

It wasn't long before Unauthorized finished his set. The party was nowhere close to being over, as nearly a dozen other DJs were scheduled to keep the music going until the sun was back up, but even in her foggy state of mind Emily knew that she desperately needed some sleep. She turned around to face the mystery girl, wrapping her arms around her neck. The girl's hands stayed firmly planted on Emily's hips.

"Find me tomorrow." Emily mouthed to the girl. No level of shouting would have been heard over the deafening music. The girl nodded, seemingly understanding. Feeling brave, and determined to take a walk on the wild side, Emily leaned in and kissed her dancing partner. The other girl returned the kiss without hesitation. Emily probably would have stood there kissing her all night if it weren't for Hanna interrupting them. She motioned that it was time to head back to camp. Emily gave her stranger one last kiss before she was pulled away.

"Who was that girl?" Hanna laughed giddily as they began the hike to the parking area. The others, Spencer, Aria, Caleb, and Toby, were all in tow. Ezra had said his goodbyes once they'd left the EDM stage. He exchanged numbers with Aria, however, pledging to text her in the morning so they could find each other again.

Emily smiled at Hanna's question. She could still feel the sensation of her mystery girl's lips. "I have no idea."

Toby, with his arm around Spencer, placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it; you'll probably _never_ see her again."

His words were supposed to be comforting, as she had literally just made out with a stranger who hadn't said one word to her, but she felt disappointed. No other girl would measure up to her dancing partner, she could tell already. There was just something peculiar about her. Something mysterious and exciting. The fact that she knew nothing about the girl only made her twice as appealing.

The walk back to camp was long, though not nearly as grueling as the walk had been earlier in the day. It had cooled down considerably, a nice breeze even making a few appearances. They would definitely need their blankets later to keep warm. Being hot and sweaty all day would only make the cool night feel that much colder. The girls were glad they had Toby and Caleb to guide them back to their tents, because they would have never found them in the moonlight on their own. There were people scattered throughout the parking area, their tents lit up with florescent lights and even a few campfires burning in the distance. The others from Toby and Caleb's group weren't back yet, but that was expected. Caleb said that they would probably come stumbling in around dawn to get a few hours of rest before they headed back over to catch the King Kilos performance. Emily was still very under the influence as she crawled into her and Hanna's tent. Kicking off her dirty shoes, she curled up underneath one of the blankets, and she fell asleep the moment her eyes slipped shut.


	2. Chapter 2

**Day 2 – We're Alive And We Drive To The Center Of It**

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Emily awoke with a gasp. It took a few blinks before she could remember where she was. Sitting up, a world of discomfort crashed down on her. Her throat was dry, her morning breath could kill, her stomach was empty, her bladder was full, and she was in desperate need of a shower.

"Hanna." She nudged the sleeping blonde. "Hanna, wake up."

"What time is it?" The blonde groaned, shielding her eyes from the morning light that was seeping into the tent.

Emily searched for her phone, grateful that it still had some battery life. "It's close to nine. I have to pee."

"Five more minutes." Hanna mumbled as she kicked off her blanket. It was already getting uncomfortably hot in the small tent.

"_I have to pee_." Emily repeated as she pulled on her shoes.

"So go freakin' pee!" Hanna barked, rolling over and effectively ending the conversation.

Climbing out of the tent, Emily had to wait for her eyes to adjust to the bright sun before she could make any further decisions. Luckily, she could just make out Spencer and Aria's voices chatting away from within their tent. Emily sauntered over to the unzipped opening and peered inside.

"Good morning." Spencer greeted her with a concerned expression. "Em, you look rough. Did you sleep okay?"

"I passed out the second I laid down." She answered before getting to urgent matter at hand. "I have to pee."

Aria reached for her shoes. "I'll go with you. There are a few port-a-potties over by the trail."

"What are we doing for showers?" Emily asked as Aria tied her laces.

Spencer cut in. "Caleb has a portable shower thing for camping in his van. It's really neat actually, you just fill up the container with water and it pumps it out through a hose. There's a water refill station near the port-a-potties that we can use. We'll probably have to fill it up before every use, but feeling clean will definitely be worth the hassle."

"I guess it's a good thing we brought bathing suits." Emily sighed. She wasn't keen on the idea of showering in public, but Spencer was right. Hygiene was an issue of the highest priority.

The trip to the port-a-potties was anything but fun. Portable toilets for public use were always disgusting on their own, but on a morning after a long night of partying they were unbelievably revolting. Not only was the toilet nearly overflowing with literal shit and vomit, but the smell brought tears to Emily's eyes. She hovered and did her business as quickly as she physically could.

Back at the camp site, the showers were underway. Rather than fill up the portable shower's container before each use, Caleb, Toby, CeCe, and Holden had filled up gallon buckets and lugged them back all on their own. It was nearing noon by the time everyone had taken their turn with the shower hose. While it was a tedious and time-consuming task, feeling clean could work miracles in terms of morale. They used the left over clean water to fill up their empty bottles and brush their teeth, offering what remained to the married couple camping next to them.

The trek to the performance area was filled with excited conversation. King Kilos would be their first stop after grabbing lunch, then they planned on catching a few songs from Willy Was Freed before hitting up The Big Stage for the day's headlining act: The Copyright Cats. Come nightfall, the group would without a doubt find their way back to the EDM stage; Caleb already had a baggie of fun tucked into his sock in anticipation.

As they entered the crowded field, Emily scanned the passing faces around her. She hadn't forgotten about the dancing girl from the Unauthorized set. If she closed her eyes, she could almost still feel the girl's lips pressed against her own.

Before getting too far into the field, the group ordered veggie burgers from a vegan food truck. They found a quiet area to sit and eat. Unwrapping the foil from her burger, Spencer nudged Aria. "Any luck getting in touch with your Danby boy?"

"Yes, actually. Ezra texted me back a few minutes ago. His brother had him up early so that they could see Kristen Daniels." Aria turned to Caleb. "Thanks again for letting us borrow your portable phone charger."

He waved off her thanks. "No problem"

Hanna, who had made it her personal mission to get Caleb to like her, tossed a used napkin at him in order to gain his attention. It was a child's tactic, but it worked all the same. "You seem to have a portable _everything_."

"Kind of comes from the whole being homeless thing." He deadpanned before moving to sit near Lucas and Alex.

Hanna sighed dramatically, turning to her friends. "What is his deal?"

"Not every boy is going to love you, Han." Spencer teased.

Hanna smiled at the challenge. "We'll see about that."

Noticing Emily's eyes relentlessly scanning the crowd, Aria followed her gaze and found only an endless train of strange faces. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing." Emily admitted gloomily. She had told the dancing girl to find her, but the odds were stacked against them on that actually happening.

Spencer grinned. "She's hoping to run into her mystery girl again."

"I never even got her name." Emily sighed, taking a break from searching the crowd to focus on eating lunch.

Hanna chuckled at her friend's misfortune. "Em, if you actually run into that girl again, that's not just a coincidence. That's _fate_."

Always one to be practical, Spencer spoke up. "Okay, but what if she turns out to be a psycho?"

"Then they'll be psychos who live happily ever after!" Hanna retorted before taking a large bite of her veggie burger. With her mouth full, she added, "True love can't be stopped, bitch."

The standing positions for King Kilos were less than pleasant, but the performance proved to be worth the distance. A whole slew of surprise guests made appearances, everyone from Big Vice to Alpacas In The Street. The show ran long though, cutting off what little time they had to get good spots at The Big Stage for The Copyright Cats. Their efforts of sprinting across the festival grounds were lost as they discovered the truly massive size of the audience. The location they settled for was so far away from the stage that they couldn't tell which band member was which.

"This sucks!" Hanna exclaimed. The Copyright Cats had been one of the few bands she hadn't argued about wanting to see.

"We can hear them just fine." Caleb pointed out, earning a cold glare from the blonde.

"You better be glad you're cute." Hanna sneered as she flipped her hair and moved to stand near Mona CeCe.

Throughout the show, Emily couldn't help but keep her eyes on the crowd. There was a good chance, considering just how many people had gathered there, that her mystery dance partner could be close by. Looking to her friends, she felt a small pang of jealousy. Toby and Spencer had their arms around each other, Hanna was busy being adored by her new fangirls, and Aria had been reunited with her older Danby boy. Emily was surrounded by thousands of people, yet she felt utterly alone.

When the set was finished, the group stole a picnic table from under the big tent. They were sweaty and tired as the afternoon heat stifled their enthusiasm. Emily was sitting in silence at the end of the table when a stranger unexpectedly sat across from her. He was an attractive boy, around her age. His presence attracted little attention from the rest of the group.

"Hi." His grin was smug, something Emily would have found to be a turn off regardless of his gender. "I'm Noel."

"Emily." She tried to keep her cool as his eyes travelled unashamedly to her cleavage.

"Where are you from?" He asked conversationally. The glint in his eyes was mischievously, as if he knew something that she didn't.

"Pennsylvania." She answered flatly, hoping her obvious disinterest would drive him away.

"In the Philly area by chance? That's where I'm at." The boy was hard to read. His intentions to hit on her had seemed clear in the beginning, but now she wasn't completely sure what it was that he was after.

Noticing Emily's distress, Hanna turned her gaze on Noel. "Hey. Buddy. She's not interested. Okay?"

He smirked. "No need to get jealous, sweetheart. There's plenty of me to go around."

Caleb, who had been paying more attention to his phone than to anyone around him, abruptly looked down the bench at their uninvited guest. He glared daggers Noel, his voice falling to a threatening tone. "You need to leave. _Now_."

Noel threw his hands up in mock surrender, a smirk still plastered on his face. "Chill, man. You can have the blonde." He winked at Emily. "I prefer my ladies exotic anyway."

Both Caleb and Emily shot out of their seats. Before they could even get a word out though, a short girl appeared at Noel's side begging for forgiveness on his behalf. "It's okay!" One of her hands gripped his shoulder, the other was stretched out protectively in front of them. "He didn't mean it. Whatever he said, he didn't mean it. He's sorry."

Caleb sat with an irritated groan, as if he had been looking forward to pummeling Noel's pretty face into the dirt. "Keep your lapdog on a shorter leash, would you?"

"I most certainly will." She elbowed Noel until he stood up beside her. "I am so sorry about this."

Emily was still fuming as Noel strutted away. The girl walked around the table, looking up at Emily directly. "I don't know what he said, but it's my fault. You shouldn't blame him."

"What?" It was too hot and Emily was too tired to be dealing with unnecessary drama.

The girl smiled, curling into mild embarrassment as she talked. "Well…you see, we noticed you sitting here and we were talking about…well, how attractive you are. Noel was convinced that you're straight, but my gaydar is _never_ wrong. I tried to tell him, but he took it as a challenge. I egged him on, it's my bad. I knew what he was going to do, I should have stopped him. I'm sorry. I'm Maya, by the way. And I'm rambling, so this is getting awkward. I'll just…retreat now."

"Emily." She was conflicted. The girl before her was cute and nice, but she lacked everything that her mystery dance partner had possessed. There was a mischievousness about the girl, but there was an undeniable innocence to her as well. She was like a tiny forest fairy, one that could pull little tricks and pranks but was incapable of doing any real harm. She was a good girl; that much was clear. Had Emily met her in Rosewood, the two probably would have hit it off. But this wasn't Rosewood, and there wasn't a single dangerous thing about the smaller girl.

"It's nice to meet you." She smiled, unaware that Emily had already made the decision not to pursue anything with her. "So…was my gaydar right?"

"Yes." Emily nodded. She could feel the eyes of her friends on them. "You, uh…you should probably go back to your friend and make sure he doesn't get into any more trouble."

Understanding dawned on her. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, again." Maya fled to a table across the tent where Noel and a few others had their eyes trained on her. Emily guiltily took her seat again.

"Damn, Em." Hanna laughed. "That chick was practically drooling on you and you're just going to shut her down like that?"

Caleb shook his head. "Anyone who is friends with a piece of shit guy like that isn't worth your time."

Hanna beamed across the table at him. "It was totally hot how you were going to defend our honor."

Much to Hanna's displeasure, Caleb ignored her comment as his eyes returned to his phone.

Emily rolled her eyes. "I can defend my own honor, but I appreciated the backup Caleb."

He gave Emily a weak nod of acknowledgement, probably with the sole intention of further annoying Hanna—which it did. After dinner and a dreadful trip to the port-a-potties, the group made its way over to the EDM stage in anticipation for the night's big show. Music was already playing as they arrived, and a good sized crowd had assembled. They weren't as close to the stage this time, which worried Emily. If her mystery girl actually was looking for her, the place they had met the previous night would have been a reasonable place to search.

Emily shifted her weight from one foot to the other as they waited. Her feet were sore from two long days of standing, but with two more days still to go she would just have to suffer through the discomfort. She lowered her sunglasses over her eyes as the sun started its descent. The sunset was pretty, she couldn't ignore that, but night promised a break from the heat that she greatly needed.

"Is that her?" Hanna's voice snapped Emily out of her daydream and had her craning her neck in every direction.

"Where?" She asked eagerly. "Where is she?"

Hanna chuckled. "Oh, my bad. That's a dude. I didn't see the beard at first."

Disappointed, Emily crossed her arms and tried to contain her annoyance. Hanna had only been trying to help after all.

When the sun finally fell behind the trees, the real party kicked off. The lights and lasers and special smoke effects, though the same as the previous night, were nevertheless amazing to witness. Caleb passed out the goods that had spent the day in a baggie tucked into his sock. Staring at the small object in her palm, she turned to Hanna and mouthed, "What is this?"

Hanna simply laughed, popping the object onto her tongue and gesturing for Emily to do the same. Considering how none of the others had questioned what Caleb had given them, she decided to take a leap of faith and see what happened. At first, nothing was different. The music was fun and they danced like normal, but that was it; just normal.

When it hit, it hit _hard_. Emily could feel every cell in her body come to life, the lights were in doubles and triples and lines and fragments, the lasers were living streams of particles flying through the air above them, her lungs felt like they weren't her own as they expanded and emptied rapidly inside of her chest, her heart thumped to the spastic rhythm as if a tiny drummer was banging away at it, she felt the eyes of a hundred strangers on her despite knowing that no one was paying any attention to her. Her feet moved on their own, her arms danced in the air. A body pressed up against her and for a moment she thought it may be her mystery dance partner, but it was only Hanna. The girls danced together, grinding and touching just as Emily had with the stranger. It was different with Hanna, though. There was no attraction, no burning desire. It was harmless fun.

Hanna's hands may have been on Emily's hips, but the blonde's eyes were on Caleb. The boy was actually smiling for once, his eyes on her as well. Hanna abruptly left Emily to dance with him; a move he didn't run away from. On her own again, Emily wasn't bothered. She was happy her friend was able to dance with her newest infatuation while she could.

Two hours flew by before the girls, Toby, Ezra, and Caleb escaped the crowd for a break. They traveled to the port-a-potties, rejoicing when they discovered how small the lines were. The group found a nice grassy spot to lie out on the outskirts of the crowd for The Big Stage where Rhode Island Blues was performing. Emily fell on to her back, staring up at the cloudless starry sky and the three full moons that danced together. An occasional blast of color or flash of light would show up in her peripheral vision from the varying stages that surrounded them. The scene was so beautiful that it took her breath away. She felt like she was in the middle of a psychedelic music video.

She sat up, turning to her friends ready to chat about how beautiful everything was when she realized that she had become a seventh wheel as each of her friends was busy making out with the boy they had connected with. Trying her best to remain undeterred, she watched the faces that walked by. It hit her that all of these people weren't just passing faces, they had lives and stories and desires and dreams and maybe they too even had a mysterious dancing partner looking for them. She was deep in thought about this when someone sat beside her unannounced. Hoping it was the girl she had been thinking about all day, Emily glanced over to see a girl who was equally familiar and unfamiliar.

"Hi." The girl greeted with a friendly smile. Emily couldn't recall her name.

"Who are you?" She asked, noting how odd her voice sounded. Is that always what her voice sounded like?

"Maya." The girl answered politely. "From earlier? My friend Noel failed miserably at hitting on you?"

The story sounded somewhat familiar, but in that moment she just couldn't remember if it actually happened or not. "Oh."

Maya laughed. "You look really fucked up right now. What are you on?"

Emily couldn't remember that either. "I don't know."

Maya's brows drew together in genuine concern. "Who gave it to you?"

"My friend." She smiled, proud of herself for being able to answer one of the girl's questions.

Maya raised an eyebrow. "Was it shifty beanie over there? He looks the type."

"Shifty beanie." Emily nodded, unable to remember his actual name.

"Is he selling?" Maya grinned. "Because I definitely want some of whatever you're having."

"It looked like this." Emily held up her fingers, doing a poor job at relaying the size of what she had consumed. She stretched out her legs, loving the way the grass felt against her skin. "This grass is so cool. It's like…a million little high-fives on your legs."

Maya doubled over laughing. "You are _so_ gone, my friend. It's Emily? Right?"

She nodded, squinting across the moonlit field. "That dude in the booty shorts looks like my first grade teacher."

"Must have been an interesting year if your first grade teacher came to class in golden booty shorts." Maya joked. The girl was nice, Emily couldn't deny that. She was cute and her smile was infectious. There was nothing wrong with her, but the fact remained; she just wasn't what Emily was looking for.

With her mind jumping from one thought to the next, Emily found it incredibly difficult to keep up with the conversation topic. "Who?"

"Uh…" Maya narrowed her gaze, scrutinizing the way Emily swayed back and forth. "Are you okay? Do you need anything? Water? Food? If you feel like you're going to puke let me know ahead of time, even just a few seconds of a warning can save a pair of shoes. Don't be embarrassed to warn a girl."

Emily shook her head, trying to get her thoughts to turn into the words she needed. "Good. Good—I'm good. I…am good."

A hand fell on Emily's shoulder, making her jump. She whipped her head around to see Hanna staring down at her. She extended a hand to help her up. "Come on, Em. We're going to see SpaGhetto and Roxy Roulette. They're doing a surprise show on that stage by the butter sculpture."

The rush of being pulled to her feet sent Emily's world spinning like she was on a carnival ride. Maya stood beside her, asking a question that Emily couldn't understand.

"_What_?" Emily asked, the word feeling strange in her mouth.

Maya shook her head. "Don't worry about. Maybe I'll catch you around later. Have a nice night, Emily." The girl left without waiting for a reply, and Emily wondered if she had done something to offend her.

Shrugging it off, she linked arms with Toby and Spencer, and the trio led the way; skipping as they went. They attracted a lot of attention, mostly just people pointing and joking about how intoxicated they must be. Emily was doubled over laughing as they reached the back of the crowd. The show had already started, leaving them on the fringes craning their necks to see. The lights weren't as pretty as the EDM stage, but they were amusing enough to hold Emily's attention. By the time that the set was finished, Emily had sobered up considerably. She found herself stifling a yawn, ready to make the trek back to the campsite and take a much needed rest. They hit up the port-a-potties on their way back, Spencer taking the longest as an unfortunate wave of nausea had her puking up the entire contents of her stomach. Quite the gentleman, Toby gave Spencer a piggy back ride as they hiked to the parking area. Emily wasn't sure what time it was; but the color in the sky seemed to be brightening the closer they got to their tents. Dawn was upon them as they walked the final aisle.

Innocently looking around at all of the tents, Emily stopped in her tracks when she locked eyes with the very face that had consumed her thoughts since she'd seen it last. There she was, as clear as the rising sun. Emily smiled, nerves filling her stomach as the other girl stared back at her apathetically. The group had walked on without her, but Hanna had glanced over her shoulder in time to see Emily strolling up to her mystery girl. The blonde simply smiled, knowing that Emily didn't need a babysitter for this particular encounter.

Emily stopped a few feet away from the girl, suddenly very nervous. "Hi."

"Hi." The girl repeated back. Her voice was just as enticing as her stoic expression.

"I'm Emily." Truthfully, she didn't know what to say to the girl. It had been over twenty-four hours, did the girl even remember her?

"Paige." She replied.

Emily gestured to the tent that Paige was standing in front of. "Is this yours?"

She shook her head, pointing to the smaller tent beside it. It looked to be a children's tent. Emily doubted that Paige could even stretch out in such a small space.

Emily bit her lip. "It's cute."

"It's small." She deadpanned.

From inside one of the tents to their left, a voice shouted for them to shut up. Wordlessly, Paige began walking. Unsure on what to do, Emily trailed after her. They reached the empty road at the edge of the parking area, crossing it without exchanging any words to each other. Emily knew it was careless and stupid to follow a stranger into the woods, but the danger thrilled her. As soon as they were deep enough to where no one on the road could see them, Paige turned and pressed her up against a large tree. Shocked and speechless, Emily could only stare at the girl.

"I looked for you." She admitted quietly, her eyes roaming Emily's body freely. "I looked everywhere."

Emily swallowed hard, the other girl's gaze giving her chills. "You found me."

"I did." She muttered as their eyes locked. There was an unspoken intensity about the girl that sent shockwaves of pleasure coursing through Emily to her center. She nearly groaned when Paige's eyes fell to her lips.

Boiling with lust, Emily lowered her voice seductively. "So what now?"

Paige closed the space between them, kissing Emily hard. Their lips roughly danced together as their hands travelled over each other's bodies. There was no romance, no subtly. No awkward small talk or fake "get to know you" conversations. There was only desire.

Abruptly, Paige turned Emily around so that she was facing the tree. Paige's lips journeyed to her neck as her hands reached around the other girl to cup her breasts while her ass grinded against Paige's front. A moan escaped her throat when one of Paige's hands smoothly slipped down her shorts. With one hand against the tree for support and the other tangled in Paige's hair behind her head, she was all but begging for Paige's touch. When a finger grazed over her clit, Emily gasped. She had never been more turned on in her life. Knowing that they were in a public area, in the woods no less, where anyone could stumble upon them at any moment, only added to how erotic everything was. Paige's fingers moved with skilled accuracy, quickly finding the perfect motions that had Emily breathless. Pure ecstasy washed over her as Paige slipped a finger inside, her thumb dexterously rotating her clit in the compact space between skin and underwear. Paige slid the hand that wasn't preoccupied in Emily's pants under her tank top to fill her hand with a bra covered breast. Emily was helpless under Paige's touch; she would have done anything to make it last forever.

All too soon, and yet somehow not soon enough, a surge of pleasure erupted from Emily's clit and had her moaning loudly into the morning air. Her senses returned to her slowly as she recuperated. The shade of the forest was cool, sending shivers down her sweat-soaked spine. She could smell her own arousal, the scent growing stronger as Paige's hand glided out of her shorts. Her fingers glistened in the early sunlight with evidence of just how turned on Emily had been. She turned around to face Paige, pulling her in for a long kiss. She was panting, and still recovering from the best orgasm of her life, when Paige swiftly broke the kiss. She stepped away, giving Emily one last look up and down before heading back toward the road. Confused, Emily followed.

"What are you doing?" Emily called after her. Being ignored only confused her more, this time anger swelling up inside her. "So that's how it is then? You just take girls into the woods to fuck 'em and leave 'em?"

Paige stopped sharply, spinning on her heels to face Emily with a glare that could kill. She opened her mouth, ready to throw out a string of harsh words, but remained mute. Gritting her teeth, she spun back around and continued the hike to the road.

Emily followed closely behind, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Paige stopped again, groaning when Emily moved to stand between her and the direction of the road. "Isn't this what you wanted?" She asked, shaking her head.

"To be abandoned in the woods?" Emily laughed in disbelief. "You're joking right?"

She crossed her arms with a scoff. "Oh, _I'm sorry_. Would you have preferred it in a giant crowd of people?"

"I would have _preferred_ if you didn't just walk away after." Emily admitted.

"I'm not looking for a girlfriend." Paige sneered.

Emily shook her head, fuming with anger. "Neither am I! That doesn't mean you can just leave me standing under the tree you fucked me against."

They stood there, both infuriated with how the other was acting. Despite herself, Emily's eyes flickered down to Paige's lips and without a sound they were back to kissing and she found herself suddenly walking backwards until her back found another tree. They kissed hard and rough, expressing all of their animosity with each meeting of their lips.

Emily held Paige's bottom lip gently between her teeth, daring the other girl to make a move. Paige's hands gripped Emily's hips tightly as she leaned against her. Pinned between the tree and Paige's front, Emily tangled her hands into the other girl's hair. She moved her lips to Paige's neck, enjoying the small noises of pleasure that vibrated in her throat.

"Two days." Paige's voice was quiet as Emily kissed a sensitive area near her collar bone. "There are only two days left. This can't…be anything. This can't leave the woods. You—_we_ can't get attached."

"So in the woods it will stay." Emily whispered the words against Paige's skin, wanting nothing more than to rip off the girl's clothes.

Paige dipped her head down to capture Emily's lips again. When the kiss broke, she whispered, "You are _so fucking_ _beautiful_." Rather than waste time with words, Emily delivered her gratitude through a long, soft kiss. They stayed there kissing for a long time before eventually accepting the reality that they both needed some sleep.

As they stood in the aisle of the parking area that held both of their camps, they hesitated.

Emily offered a small smile. "Find me tomorrow."

Paige shook her head. "I thought we agreed that it would stay in the woods?"

Emily shrugged. "Doesn't mean we can't be friends for two days."

Paige had already started walking to her small tent when she glanced over her shoulder and said, "I'll find you."

Emily managed to slip into her tent, kick off her shoes, and change into her designated sleep clothes before Hanna stirred. The blonde rolled over, squinting over at her giddy friend. "Well you definitely got laid." She chuckled, snoring before Emily could even come up with a reply. Cuddling up to her pillow, Emily welcomed sleep like a dear old friend.


	3. Chapter 3

**Day 3 – The Sleep We Fought And All The Places We Got Caught**

* * *

The morning dragged on in a blur. Emily had only been asleep for a few short hours when Hanna had shaken her from her slumber. The questions about her trip to the woods with the mysterious girl named Paige seemed endless as they readied themselves for the day. Emily was thankful for the brief reprieve she found while taking her shower beside Caleb's van. The water from the refill station was freezing compared to the already sizzling hot sun as it ran down her body. She had only packed one bikini, not even knowing if she would find use for it. The eyes of passing strangers left her feeling exposed as she washed her hair, but feeling clean was well worth the inconvenient location. She had just finished washing the shampoo out of her hair when she noticed a certain set of brown eyes on her from down the aisle.

Sure enough, Paige had just emerged from her miniature tent. The girl looked as if she'd been stopped dumbfounded in her tracks by the sight of Emily showering. Cutting off the hose, Emily stood there for a moment longer as the water dripped down her skin. Paige stared openly, an act that reunited Emily with the lustful feelings that had been so briefly satiated in the early morning light in the woods. Wrapping her towel around her body, she allowed herself one more glance in Paige's direction before ambling back to her shared tent. There was no question that she would have another run in with Paige; the bait had been set. The question at hand was how long it would take Paige to bite.

The group made it to the performance area in time for the headlining afternoon show: Kansas Small Talk with special guests Thomas White and Jolene Anne Holliday. The space they occupied on the outskirts of the crowd offered them quite a bit of maneuvering room. Spencer and Toby slow danced like they were made for each other; Ezra and Aria settled for a gentle embrace; Mona, Samara, and CeCe frolicked in circles around Hanna, who was once again on Caleb's bad side. Lucas, Holden, Alex, and Caleb had opted for seeing a different show across the festival grounds so Emily stood on her own, watching the show and her surroundings with equal interest.

The people at Explicit never failed to entertain. To Emily's right was a pair of boys in their mid-twenties sound asleep on a dirty bed sheet. Their nap was somehow both ironic and fitting. A little ways closer to the stage, a girl no older than fourteen was crowd surfing. Her neon shoes and pale skin stood out as she hovered across the sea of people. A boy with bright red hair weaved his way through the audience. He shouted loudly in an unidentifiable language, seemingly searching for someone.

"Fancy meeting you here."

Emily whipped around to see Noel smiling smugly at her. Holding back the urge to roll her eyes in his face, Emily settled for ignoring his existence altogether.

"Come on." He chuckled, moving to stand beside her. "Don't be like that. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. Really, honestly, sorry. I was out of line yesterday."

In the attempt to be the bigger person, Emily relented. "Apology accepted."

He gestured toward the stage. "So you like this band?" When she didn't respond, he inched closer. "I think they're alright. Not the best, but not bad, you know?" His smirk grew as Emily's silence held strong. "Ignoring me only makes this more fun."

She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. "I wouldn't have to ignore you if you would just leave me alone."

"Feisty." He wiggled his eyebrows. "I like that."

Disgusted, Emily glanced around for backup. "So where's your friend?"

His eyes fell to her cleavage. "Who? Maya? Probably off having a round of rock, paper, scissors somewhere."

From the look on Noel's face, Emily could tell that his answer hadn't been sarcastic. "And what's that supposed to be code for?"

He smiled. "Well, paper is obvious—there's some joints being passed around. Scissors, my personal favorite part, means there's some sweet lady loving going on. And rock, well…" He winked. "I can show you what that one stands for if you'd like. It's nice and hard, if you catch my drift."

Emily scoffed. "Not in your dreams." She hadn't realized that Maya wasn't gay, but that was neither here nor there. Her main concern was getting rid of Noel.

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong. See, you were definitely in my dreams last night. Want to know what we did?" His arrogance was repulsive.

She looked him directly in the eyes, an act he viewed as a minor success. "I'm going to ask you very nicely to leave me alone."

He chuckled. "But that would ruin all the fun!"

"Harassing people isn't fun." She shook her head. He was unbelievably stubborn in his attempts to annoy her. "_Leave me alone_."

He took a step closer, which he regretted the moment Emily's fist collided with his nose. A whirlwind of pain shot through Emily's knuckles as Noel's body hit the ground. He stared up at her in disbelief while a stream of blood began flowing from his nostrils. Emily's friends were on them the moment after it happened. Toby and Hanna glared menacingly down at Noel, daring him to retaliate, as the others questioned Emily about the encounter. Security ended up being alerted, escorting them to a designated holding area behind The Big Stage. Rather than a tent, it was a small concrete building that looked as if it had seen far better days.

Emily gave her account of what happened; she told the two sweaty members of Security all about Noel's persistent harassment. He confessed to provoking her, had his nose looked at, and was sent on his way with a warning that if he bothered anyone else they'd have him removed from Explicit by actual police officers who wouldn't be nearly as friendly. Emily was given an ice pack for her swollen hand before being sent out to her patiently waiting friends.

Hanna linked her arm around Emily's. "If we see that guy that again, I swear I'm going to rip his pretty face off."

Spencer laughed. "It's not all that pretty anymore, is it? Nice right hook, Em."

Emily smiled. "Thanks." Though her hand was throbbing with pain, she was content with her actions. Being the bigger person wasn't always the best way to handle things; some people, like Noel, required a more direct approach.

The group was whole again as they reorganized for a vegan food truck dinner. Emily found herself in the company of Caleb and Holden while they ate. The boys admired her bruised knuckles, discussing with her at length varying fighting techniques in case Noel came lurking around again. From there the group ventured to the EDM stage. Caleb, cursed with the selfless need to provide the world with drugs, had run out of pills and tablets to offer everyone. With his previous hookup from the woods unreachable, the group settled in for what promised to be a very sober night as the sun began its descent beyond the horizon.

Hanna crossed her arms over her chest as her pouting routine began. "Can we at least get some booze up in here?"

"No one has a fake ID." Spencer pointed out. "And I seriously doubt anyone would sell us alcohol without jacking the prices up."

"I don't think I can handle this sober." Hanna grumbled.

Emily was in the middle of opening her mouth to add to the conversation when out of the corner of her eye she spotted a familiar face.

Noticing Emily's hesitation, Spencer tried to follow her gaze into the crowd. "What's up?"

"I might know someone who could fix our problem!" Emily had already started making her way out of the crowd by the time she finished her sentence.

Hanna chased after her. "Em, hold up! I'm coming with you!"

Once they had managed to break free from the gathering, Emily and Hanna caught up to the face that Emily had recognized.

"Hey!" Emily stopped the girl. "It's Maya, right?"

The short girl nodded, glancing between the pair of them curiously. "You're not here to break my nose too, are you?"

Emily had nearly forgotten that Noel was Maya's friend. "Oh! Um, no." She gestured to her purple and yellow knuckles. "I already used my one good punch."

Maya cracked a smile. "He probably deserved it."

Clearing her throat, Emily tried to find an appropriate way to go about her endeavor. "So…where are you headed to?"

She shrugged. "To hang out with some friends. What about you guys?"

Emily and Hanna glanced to each other awkwardly. Hanna, never afraid to be blunt, said, "We're looking to get really fucked up."

Maya nodded, understanding why they had approached her. "You're in luck. As it just so happens, I'm on my way over to The Land of the Fairies."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "The Land of the Fairies? What is that code for?"

"There's a secret clearing in the woods where the queers go to party. It's hard to find if you've never been there before. It's really nice; gays definitely know how to decorate a party. At night it basically turns into a giant orgy." Maya glanced to Hanna. "They're very strict about the 'no straight people allowed' rule though."

"You know, I've always wondered what it's like to get with another girl." Hanna replied, linking her arm around Emily's.

Maya chuckled. "We could work with that. Just follow me."

As they trailed after Maya, Emily turned to her blonde friend and whispered, "Do you think we should tell the others?"

Hanna shook her head. "They'd set off the red flags; we'd never be able to get them in. And I bet Samara already knows about this place anyway. Just keep a low profile and we'll blend right in."

Emily withheld a dramatic sigh. "I'm not the straight girl that's getting sneaked in, remember?"

Hanna shrugged. "Making out with some hot ladies sounds like way more fun than putting up with Mr. Hot and Cold all night."

As they entered the woods, it dawned on Emily that this was the second time in under twenty-four hours that she was being led into a shadowy forest by a girl that she barely knew. They hiked for a good ways, following a beaten path that was hard to pick out in the night. They could see the clearing in the distance, nothing more than a small fiery glow in the darkness. Once they reached the glow, Emily realized that it was caused by dozens of strung up lights that arched above their heads from tree to tree. The clearing was large, mostly grass with a few lonely trees spaced out. The moon lit up that which the tree lights missed. There were people everywhere, of all ages and styles. A live band played in the corner on a small wooden stage, their speakers and instruments were connected to the same gas generator that supplied the electricity for the tree lights. Down a ways from the entrance was a large collection of tents, camping chairs, and small fires.

Maya stepped into the clearing, turning around to face the pair of friends. "Welcome to The Land of the Fairies."

"Is this where your camp is set up?" Hanna asked. Her eyes were wide as she took in the scene. It was as if they had stumbled upon a magical place.

"Sort of." Maya answered, leading them further into the clearing. "I go back and forth between a friend's tent in here and Noel's tent back in parking. Come on, I'll introduce you to the crew."

Emily and Hanna followed Maya through the maze of tents. The atmosphere of the clearing was remarkably different from that of Explicit. There was something homey about the twinkling lights overheard, something relaxing about the friendly circles among the campfires, something whimsical about the conga line of men in rainbow underwear.

Maya led them to a small group near the edge of the clearing. Their fire was full of freshly chopped wood and a few of them roasted hotdogs over the flames. Maya greeted them with a cheery smile before introducing the pair of friends she had guided through the dark. "This is Emily and…wow, sorry, I don't think I ever actually got your name."

Hanna waved off the comment with a charismatic smile. "I'm Hanna."

"Hanna." Maya nodded. "Well, Hanna, Emily, this is Wren, Shana, Jenna, and Lyndon."

Emily and Hanna took seats on the ground beside the fire, observing the five friends interact and partaking in the conversation when they could. They were an odd bunch; that much was obvious. Shana had a precarious aura about her. She sat on the edge of her folding chair, as if she were ready to bolt at any moment. Next to her was Jenna, a girl whose intense personality reminded Emily and Hanna all too well of a friend they once had. The boy Lyndon looked as straight as an arrow but the others swore up and down that he was the gayest man they'd ever had the pleasure of meeting. Wren, who must have been nearly ten years older than the rest of them, muttered occasionally from his drunken stupor. Emily and Hanna found it hard to believe they told them that he was a medical doctor visiting from England.

Shana stood, addressing the new guests as she spoke. "We've got liquor in the tent, if you guys want something to drink?"

Hanna hopped to her feet immediately. "Yeah, that would be awesome."

Shana gave her a suggestive look, one that Hanna understood perfectly as they disappeared into a large tent together.

"How's the hand?" Maya asked, drawing Emily's attention back to those around the fire.

"Oh, it's fine. Thanks."

Maya turned to the others. "Emily is the one that broke Noel's nose."

Jenna clapped her hands together and giggled eccentrically. "That was you? Man, I wish I could have been there to see that."

With all eyes on her, Emily struggled to find something to say. "It all happened so fast. I don't even remember thinking about it…I just sort of did it."

Lyndon shook his head. "That douchebag has tried every night to get back here. Kept going on about how he wants to see chicks making out."

Maya nodded towards the tent as Shana and Hanna reemerged. "Speaking of chicks making out."

Sure enough, Shana returned with a satisfied expression as Hanna resumed her place by Emily's side with flushed cheeks.

"What happened?" Emily whispered as Hanna passed her a half empty bottle of vodka.

Hanna smiled. "You don't even want to know."

"You were gone for less than a minute." Emily pointed out before taking a long swig from the bottle in her hand. She cringed as the harsh taste burned its way down her throat. "What could possibly have happened?"

Hanna wiggled her eyebrows. "I don't kiss and tell."

An hour of drinking and storytelling passed by quickly. Emily and Hanna made easy friends with the others, even the British Dr. Wren who had sobered up enough to ask for another beer. When the live band across the clearing put away their instruments, an amateur DJ with the stage name Dykealicious took over. Jenna suggested that they go dance, to which everyone but Wren and Lyndon happily joined her for.

A tad past tipsy, Emily found herself having to hold on to Hanna to avoid falling over as they made their way over to the DJ. An intimate crowd danced to the music that Dykealicious played from her laptop. It was so unlike the fancy sets at Explicit. No strobe lights, no lasers, no giant screens or famous musicians. There was actually room to dance, as opposed to the usual stand in one place and jump up and down routine that the massive crowds allowed. Letting the warm feeling in her stomach smooth over her inhibitions, Emily moved freely to the beat. After a few songs, Hanna nudged her and said that her "early morning fuck in the woods" was creeping nearby.

Emily just about gave herself whiplash as she searched the clearing. Twenty yards away, Paige leaned casually against a tree with a beer in hand. Determined to get Paige to make a move, Emily continued swaying her hips to the music but kept her eyes firmly planted on the other girl. Her strategy proved to be extremely effective. Paige tossed her empty bottle to the side, trudging through the mob of dancing bodies until she reached Emily. She didn't greet her with a smile or a friendly hello, but rather with a territorial kiss. When their lips parted, Paige grabbed Emily's hand and led her away. Glancing back to Hanna, Emily was relieved to see her friend give her a thumbs up. The last thing she wanted to do was abandon a friend.

Paige unzipped a tent and crawled in before pulling Emily in behind her and closing it back up.

"Is this yours?" Emily asked as she sat, noticing how spacious it was compared to the small tent she'd seen Paige use the previous night.

"Nope." Paige answered, kissing her again.

Paige's arm brushed against Emily's hand the wrong way, causing her to gasp in pain. The other girl shot back, her eyes wide as they searched for the source of Emily's pain. "What? What happened?"

"My hand." Emily sighed, showing off the bruised knuckles. The orange glow in the tent gave the purple hues an even more grotesque appearance. Paige gently took Emily's hand in her own. She ran her fingers over the bruises so softly that their skin barely touched. Locking eyes, Emily knew that there was so much more to Paige than just the tough exterior she presented to the world. "I punched a guy in the face. He wouldn't leave me alone…so I broke his nose."

Paige cracked a breathtaking smile, the first that Emily had ever seen her make. "That's pretty badass."

"It was worth the pain." Emily flashed her own smile. "Just, uh…try not to touch it too much."

Carefully releasing Emily's hand, Paige resumed her task of kissing Emily. Soon they were horizontal, Paige's hips grinding against Emily's slowly as their kisses grew rougher. As Paige's lips moved to her neck, Emily felt the overpowering need to talk.

"Is this where you go every day?" Emily asked. She did her best to keep her voice steady as Paige's kisses on her neck became wetter and more sensual the lower they trailed. "Is this where you looked for me?"

"Yes." She muttered the word against Emily's skin as she discovered the sensitive areas along her collar bone.

"I didn't even know this place existed until tonight." Emily admitted. Her breathing became more erratic with each move Paige made. "It's so beautiful here. It's like something right out of a movie. I wish I could've known about it sooner."

Paige glanced up to meet her eyes as she lifted Emily's tank top up to reveal a toned stomach. The kisses continued, sending a shudder of arousal straight to Emily's clit each time Paige's lips met her skin. "So what's…your name? Like, your last name? We're at the point, where I can ask that and it not be creepy, right?" Paige ignored Emily's rambling questions, leaving her conflicted. While Paige's body felt so incredible on top of her own, Emily had an equally strong desire to at least know a few of the basics about her. "Are you this antisocial with everyone?" Again, Paige disregarded her. Emily swallowed hard as Paige unbuttoned her pants.

"Paige." Emily breathed the girl's name, surprised to see that she had even heard her. Paige stopped all movement, staring up at her expectantly. The sight of Paige hovering over her unzipped shorts, patiently waiting for the okay to give her everything she physically desired in that moment, sent Emily's thoughts into a whirlwind. She cleared her throat, trying to keep her wits about her. "The whole silent thing you've got going on is really hot, I'll admit that…but I would really like it if you could at least _pretend_ that you're interested in me as a person and not just for my body."

Paige moved swiftly, her powerful shoulders and biceps moving her body above Emily's with ease. She looked down at the girl beneath her with an exhilarating intensity. "We agreed that we can't get attached. That works a lot better the less you know about the other person."

"We also agreed to be friends." Emily was determined to get answers. "Friends share things." When Paige remained resolute in her silence, Emily decided to pull out the big guns. "You know, you could get with any girl out there, but you searched everywhere for _me_. We have a connection or something—I don't know, but I do know that you feel it too. Maybe we're destined to just fuck in the woods for a weekend and never see each other again, that's cool. It's whatever. I'm fine with that. But I can't stop thinking about you. I can't stop looking for you everywhere. That might not mean anything to you, but it means something to me. And I'm going to enjoy this while I can, so just…indulge me."

Paige's voice, unlike her unwavering intensity, softened. "McCullers. My name, it's McCullers."

"Nice to meet you, Paige McCullers." Emily felt a smile creep across her face, Paige's eyes pensively glancing down her lips. "I'm Emily Fields."

Paige hesitantly opened her mouth to reply, still struggling with her wish to keep things informal between them. "That's strange."

Emily's brows drew together. "What's strange? My name?"

The girl backtracked. "No—well, yes. What I mean is…your name is so…simple. Or_ humble_, I guess. I don't really know how to put into words what I'm trying to say but you…" Paige's eyes roamed Emily's body admiringly. "You are the most beautiful person I've ever seen. You just…you seem so…I don't even know, so _exceptional_. I guess I just expected you to have a unique name, like Cleopatra or Pocahontas or something like that, you know? Something no one else could ever have." A blush blossomed across her cheeks. "I sound so stupid."

Emily shook her head, smiling widely. "You're cute when you ramble." She wrapped her arms around the girl's neck and pulled her in for a kiss.

Paige pulled away, her jaw clenching in a way that sent a shivers down Emily's spine. She all but glared at the beautiful girl under her. "Don't ever call me that again."

"I won't." Emily's promise barely reached above a whisper. Paige's brief vulnerability was gone, a large wall of steadfast apathy covering any trace of softness. Their lips met again, rougher and harder. Paige wasted no time in kissing her way back down to Emily's waistline. Together they slipped her shorts off, her shoes kicked to the side as Paige followed suit. Emily wasn't surprised to see that Paige had on boxer briefs in lieu of traditional feminine underwear.

Paige resumed her place between Emily's legs, grinding against her sensually as their lips met. Emily moaned into her mouth from the sensation of having only two thin materials between them. Careful not to harm her bruised hand, Emily wrapped her fingers around the bottom of Paige's tank top and pulled it over her head. She was more than pleased to see the muscular torso above her. There was no doubt that Paige was an athlete, a topic she made a quick mental note to ask about later. Emily's tank top was the next thing to go, followed by both of their bras being tossed to the side.

Paige's lips journeyed across Emily's collar bone before dipping down to teasingly lick an already hard nipple. Her hands cupped and caressed Emily's breasts as her mouth continued its travels south. Tangling her hands in Paige's hair, Emily was nearly buzzing with anticipation as the other girl's kisses met the thin fabric of her underwear. Paige's eyes locked with Emily's as she kissed her clit through the material. Emily took in a shaky breath. She knew Paige was only going as slow as she was in order to torture her, but she wouldn't give in; she would not beg.

With one hand still teasing one of Emily's nipples, Paige slipped the other hand down and used it to slide Emily's underwear to the side; a move that she hadn't expected. Emily's eyes rolled back in her head as Paige's tongue ran slowly across her clit. Tangling her hands in the other girl's hair, she focused on keeping her moans quiet. Paige proved to be as equally skilled with her tongue as she was with her fingers. Occasionally, voices passing by the tent or cheers from the dancing crowd across the clearing would remind her where she was, but Emily was otherwise completely consumed by the indescribable ecstasy that was Paige McCullers.

It didn't take long for Emily's toes to curl and for her eyes to shut and for her back to arch and for her hand to fly up to her mouth to stifle the moan that slipped past her throat as her body shook with orgasmic waves of pleasure. When she opened her eyes again, Paige's face was only inches from hers. She pulled the girl down for a lengthy kiss.

Things had just started heating up again when Emily's phone began vibrating. With Paige's help, she found where her shorts had been tossed and retrieved the phone.

"Hanna?" Emily tried to contain a smile as Paige's lips kissed along her jawline; solely to distract her from the intruding phone call. "Are you okay?"

"I'm drunk, _mothafucka_!" Hanna's voice was shockingly loud as it shrilled through the phone speaker. "Listen, I know you're probably fucking somewhere right now, but you've got to get back out here, man. The British doctor guy just pulled out a shit load of Jell-O shots. Some of them are shaped like dicks! Trust me, you do not want to miss this. You can go back to fucking later."

The phone call ended abruptly, leaving Emily glancing between the phone and Paige.

"I should probably make sure she doesn't get into any trouble." Emily laughed. Her smile faded when Paige didn't join in. "You should come hang out with us…if you want to."

"I don't know." Paige mumbled. Despite the tough exterior, Emily could tell there was a world of insecurity hiding inside her.

"You don't have to talk to them. They're all so drunk they probably won't even notice you." Emily lifted Paige's chin, kissing her lips gently. "Don't go. Not yet. I want to spend as much time with you as I can."

They put their clothes back on, a decent struggle to manage within the space available, before popping out and finding the group Emily had left. The crew hadn't changed much since she'd last seen them. Shana and Jenna were making out, Lyndon was dancing up against a random boy, Maya was smoking out of a rather large bong—in plain sight, and Hanna was sitting in Dr. Wren's lap with a Jell-O shot in both hands.

"Em! And _friend_." Hanna wiggled her eyebrows, winking at Paige. "You have to try this shit."

The party raged on late into the night. Between Hanna untiringly handing out the never ending supply of Jell-O shots and the lighthearted conversation around the fire, both Emily and Paige proceeded to get incredibly wasted. It only took a few ill-fated attempts to include Paige in the conversation before everyone just stopped trying. An hour before dawn, the party began to die down. The music had stopped, replaced by the sound of crickets and the crackling fire. The warmth from the flames that had been unwelcome earlier in the night was now comforting as the cool forest air settled in. Most of those who had been out and about in the clearing had disappeared into their tents long ago. The only ones still awake by the fire were Emily, Paige, and the somehow still conscious Dr. Wren. Hanna was beside them, though she was slumped over sleeping in a chair peacefully.

"Are you two together?" Wren's question caught both of the girls off guard.

"No." Emily answered, noticing the uneasy glance she received from Paige.

"Shame." He muttered. Taking a final swig from his cup, he lethargically tossed it to the side. "So, what's the deal, eh? What's your story? Your individual stories, that is. I always find people's stories to be rather interesting, don't you? Even the boring ones. I have a boring one. You see, I was brought up in England by a pair of very rich and very neglectful parents. Being a medical doctor was their idea; they paid for every last bloody class. Nothing but the best for little Wren. There was a time not so long ago when I thought, why not do something I actually like, you know? Live a little. So here I am, smashed in a forest with some Americans." He looked at them keenly. "What about you?"

Emily shrugged, not sure where to begin or how much to even say. "My friends and I wanted to do something fun together. We graduated from high school a month ago, and we're all going off to different universities soon. This is our last adventure together."

"Keep going." Wren encouraged. "Don't shy away from the dirty details now. We're in The Land of the Fairies, after all. What happens here stays here…or at least we've bloody well forgotten it by the time we've woken up."

"Well, uh…my dad is in the army. He's in Afghanistan. I haven't seen him months. He missed my graduation. My mom is a little on the overbearing side, but it could be worse I guess. She's alright." Racking her brain for something less boring to share, she knew exactly the kind of story Wren would be interested in hearing about. "A few years ago my best friend went missing. They found her body in her backyard after a year of looking for her." Understandably fascinated, both Wren and Paige eagerly listened for more. "Her name was Alison. I was…hopelessly in love with her. I tried to kiss her the week before she disappeared. She had been leading me on, but I guess that was just too far for her. We both said some things that we shouldn't have. I don't think I'll ever stop regretting our last fight. It was the last time I ever saw her alive."

"Well." Wren ran a hand through his messy hair. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Emily waved away his comment, suddenly wishing that she hadn't talked about Ali. One of the great things about strangers was that they didn't know about your past. "It was a long time ago."

Wren nodded to Paige. "Up for sharing, Silent Bob?"

At first, Emily was sure that Paige wasn't going to participate in their little round of storytelling, but then the girl sat up straight and cleared her throat. She had taken Wren's question as a challenge. "Parents divorced at five, mom died of cancer at seven, sent to a boarding school at eight, expelled for starting a fight at ten, sent to live with the grandparents at eleven, expelled from a private Christian school for homosexual activities at fourteen, sent back to live with my dad and his wife, arrested at fifteen for underage drinking, arrested at sixteen for violating parole, expelled from public school for excessive absences at seventeen, got my GED through night classes at eighteen, then I skipped town one night and never looked back." She glanced between her attentive audience. "Now I'm here."

"_Homosexual activities_." Wren shook his head with a grin. "America never fails to exceed all of my expectations." He picked up a previously forgotten bottle and took a sip from it. "Land of the free…home of the brave? This country is a bloody mess."

Paige raised an empty cup into the air. "I'll drink to that."

By morning light, only Paige and Emily remained awake. Wren snored quietly from his folding chair, a bottle still in his hands.

"I'm so tired." Emily groaned, rubbing her heavy eyes. "When this is all over, I think I'll probably end up sleeping for a week straight."

"One day left." Paige murmured as she stood and put out what was left of the dwindling fire.

"One day left." Emily repeated. Time was running out. They had approximately twenty-four hours to go before the thousands of tents would be packed up. "By this time tomorrow, everyone will be heading home."

Paige shrugged. "Not me."

"Where are you going instead?" Emily asked curiously.

"I don't know." Paige offered Emily a hand to help her up from the grass. "I don't really have anywhere to go."

The conversation ended there as Emily shook Hanna from her sleep. "Hanna, wake up. We have to go back to our tent. The others are probably worried about us."

"Fuck 'em." Hanna muttered, her eyes straining to stay open in the morning light. She reeked of booze and perfume.

After a long battle of convincing Hanna to get up, the three of them were finally able to make the trek back to the parking area. The hike took forever, as they were all exhausted. Their first stop was for a much needed visit to the port-a-potties. They'd been peeing in the woods all night, which was more or less just as uncomfortable as using a "portable shit box", as Hanna so delicately put it. The next stop was Paige's tent, where Emily bid her goodbye with a tender kiss.

"Find me tomorrow." Emily whispered, earning a grin from Paige.

"I'll find you." She promised.

When Hanna and Emily reached their camp, they slipped into their tent as quietly as they could manage. Too tired to even change their clothes, the girls fell asleep the moment their eyes shut.


End file.
